What's with the OVERLAP of symptoms?!?... oh that? It's just to make the game more challenging.

To add to the mix:Don't discount the Die Off.As you kill any of the above they can go out with a vengeance, causing amplified behaviors.

"She's not doing as well as she was two weeks ago." Caroline's therapist reluctantly offers. "Anything different?"

OH EM GEEEE.

Is there ever a week when things AREN'T different?! Ask anyone who's up to their eyeballs in biomedical treatments, everything is different EVERY week.

And actually, for the most part, her therapists have come to know what we're doing. Because, really, how else could we have explained some of the overnight advances, and (thankfully seldom) regressions.

When you have a child who's stuck on letter sounds for a year, "AAAAA.... EEEEEE... OOOOO..." every day -- over and over and over -- no words, and suddenly the words come, people tend to wonder. "Anything different?"

So you tell them, "Yes, we started treating yeast overgrowth..." as they nod along and look at you like you're an alien disembarking from a spaceship that descended upon the office.

And in a sense, you are somewhat of a creature from another planet. You're doing what this world often regards as impossible. You're recovering a child from autism.

When they see the overnight improvements continue (and sometimes disappear) their interest is often piqued. There might just be something to this biomedical game.

At the point in time they start asking about what might biomedically be causing XYZ, to me, that's the ultimate compliment!

But what do you say when you don't know? Especially in the beginning. Sometimes the symptoms are too close to call and as you look back on your pages and pages of notes, you start to feel a bit like Inspector Clouseau.

This is often the case when it involves discerning between yeast - bacteria - and parasites. Three things guaranteed to ensure your child's path to recovery is never boring.

Starting with Yeast

It's one of the most common treatments people begin first. Why? Because our kids compromised immune systems can't control yeast overgrowth like a healthy immune system can.

And because it causes a whole host of symptoms commonly associated with 'autism.' See the chart to the right.

So, while repairing the immune system is the ultimate goal, that's usually only achieved by removing metals, which can take time. In the case of our low-dose chelation protocol, we're talking 2+ years.

Since we can't let the rest of the world go by while we remove metals, enter the yeast killers. They often bring dramatic improvements in language, interaction, and reduction of other symptoms that it's overgrowth can cause.

With time though, it becomes obvious that slaying the yeast beast is much more of an art than a science. There's more involved than kill. kill. kill.

ARRRGH, Bacteria!!!

Just about when you think you have the yeast figured out -- or before that if you're lucky -- you learn that bacteria must also be on your radar.

The gut is like a children's ball pit. Oftentimes just as nasty too, so it's an appropriate comparison. Anyway, in this ball pit, as you take out the balls that represent yeast, something fills those spaces. We hope it's good bacteria (in the form of probiotics) but sometimes it's the bad stuff.

When bacteria overgrows, you have a new crop of problems. Obsessive compulsive behaviors, tics, anger, aggression, defiance and so on.

There are also some children who start out with bacteria overgrowth and then yeast flares and many others who have problems with BOTH.

So, you treat and you treat and you chelate and you chelate, and just when you think you've got those two figured out...

Enter Parasites

Leave it to the worms to throw a wrench into your whole gut healing plan. And who invited them into the ball pit in the first place?

Chances are, your child's immune system did. If it's too weak to respond appropriately to invaders, the parasites undoubtedly will be crashing your "repair the gut" party and they never travel alone.

Now that I've lost all hope, what should I do?

At this point in the blog, even Inspector Clouseau would be scratching his head. Da-dum-da-DUM-dum-dum....

Of course you can test. and test. and re-test. But over time, this Mom has learned that sometimes a trusty magnifying glass and a notebook will get you closer to the prize.

Tests can be inaccurate and are always only a snapshot in time. A child like Caroline can have a yeast flare one week , bacteria overgrowth another and a parasitic infestation the week after that.

In my opinion, if you want to see improvement in your child you need to do three things. Yep. Only three. Unfortunately none of them are easy.

1. Research. Read the links on this page. Join parent groups and learn about what others have used successfully for the symptoms you're seeing.

2. Abandon fear of supplements. Replace it with the fear that your child will never improve. Armed with the research from step 1, you need to jump in and get to work on trying different things.

3. Take Notes. Really, really good notes. Easier said than done since my notebook for last week has a total of 10 comments in it. (oops. that gosh darn revolution plotting sure can get in the way.)

Ideally however, it's important to record as much as possible. Behaviors, language, stool consistency, unique observations, dark circles under the eyes, bloated belly anything that will help you distinguish symptoms of yeast - from bacteria - from parasites - from woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Buy yourself a pretty notebook, and keep it all in one place. Which leads to ahem... #4 (sorry!), refer to your notes. Use them to make adjustments andkeep moving forward.

The road to recovery is long. We need to have our eyes not only on healing the underlying issues (often with chelation) but also on managing the day to day symptoms. It's not easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. Luckily, it's also the most rewarding.

So, if you aren't familiar with your child's symptoms and what they mean, I encourage you to put on your inspector hat, grab a magnifying glass and your pretty notebook and get to it.

Someday, in the not too distant future, you'll be an expert detective and be making a list of your child's symptoms, overlaps and all, to pass along to someone else.

Meanwhile... with Caroline

The reason she wasn't doing well was yeast. Foggy inattentive, less engaged & super giggly. In an attempt to kill more yeast than bacteria, I had decreased her goldenseal and increased the oil of oregano.

I originally thought it was die off of yeast causing her behaviors. But when they continued into the second week, I decided to throw in the towel on the higher dose of OoO. It just wasn't working for her.

I increased her diflucan & goldenseal, decreased the oil of oregano and sure enough.... After a slight stop at the bacteria overgrowth station (a brief return of tics) she's back!

The return of eye contact, communication & attentiveness have made for a decidedly happier household and the pinkalicious princess is much more fun to be around! The whole episode has been recorded in my fancy floral notebook. Never to be repeated again.